The back pain patch is a transdermal agent used in the treatment of back pain of various etiologies and geneses. The dosage form is characterized by a gradual release of active ingredients, which provides a long-term therapeutic effect. The active ingredients of all patches with analgesic properties enter the systemic bloodstream in low concentrations, so the list of contraindications of the transdermal drug is significantly shorter than that of drugs intended for oral and parenteral administration. The causes of back pain are often pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system, which is why a consultation and medical examination are necessary.
Classification of transdermal products
Dorsalgia (back pain) develops as a result of a functionally reversible blockage of the intervertebral joints. Pathological conditions often precede spondyloarthrosis or osteochondrosis of the lumbar region. Blocking often occurs as a result of increased static or dynamic loads, antiphysiological postures and microtrauma. Neuropathologists and rheumatologists warn of the need for comprehensive treatment of back pain because tissue damage in one area of the spine will lead to functional changes in adjacent areas. Gradually, compensatory hypermobility will form, reducing a person's quality of life.
Lower back pain affects 76% of the population. Intense discomfort is diagnosed in 7% of cases. In more than 9% of people, back pain causes disability.
In the treatment of pathologies of the musculoskeletal systempatches are used to minimize pain, relieve inflammation and swelling. Clinical studies have proven the high effectiveness of transdermal agents for local use, which have an analgesic effect. Therapeutic patches for back pain are classified as follows:
| Fix Pack | Features |
|---|---|
| Warming up | The active ingredients of external preparations are extracts of chili or mustard seeds. The mechanism of action of the patches is to improve blood circulation in damaged tissues and accelerate their regeneration. |
| Heat reflective | The patch contains nanoparticles of rare earth metals, which have the ability to increase body temperature in areas of inflammation using the body's own resources. |
| Anti-inflammatory | The active ingredients of transdermal medications are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This group of patches is effective in the treatment of back pain of any location |
| Phytoplasties | Chinese manufacturers provide products for topical application containing medicinal plant extracts, essential oils and other natural ingredients. Bandages are used not only for therapeutic purposes, but also for the prevention of pathologies of the lumbar spine. |
In medical practice, pain that lasts 1 to 1. 5 months is considered acute, and pain that lasts 12 weeks is considered chronic. The prescription of patches with analgesic effect is practiced to eliminate discomfort at any stage of the pathology.
Relatively recently, transdermal products containing chondroprotectors appeared on pharmacy shelves. They contain chondroitin, glucosamine and sometimes hyaluronic acid as well as B vitamins which can improve innervation. These biologically active substances are structural units of cartilage, bones and joint tissues of the musculoskeletal system. Such patches are rarely included in the treatment regimens of patients with lumbosacral osteochondrosis or radiculitis.due to the low effectiveness of rapid elimination of pain of any intensity. The main task of chondroprotective patches is to restore tissues affected by inflammation, which can take several months or even years. Many traumatologists and neurologists are skeptical about this type of drugs for local use due to the lack of evidence of their therapeutic effectiveness.
Back pain occupies one of the first places in the structure of people seeking medical help. According to the results of epidemiological studies carried out in leading clinics of the country, out of 1, 300 patients, 24. 9% of complaints were mainly caused by pain in the lumbosacral region.
Red pepper extract heating patches
Pepper patch for back pain is the most popular transdermal remedy for the treatment of back pain, regardless of its severity. The active ingredients are extracts of red pepper and belladonna, dimethyl sulfoxide and eucalyptus essential oil. Thanks to lanolin (animal wax obtained by boiling sheep's wool) and pine rosin, the active ingredients are easily absorbed by the skin and penetrate into inflammatory areas. The following therapeutic actions are characteristic of the pepper tree:
- analgesic;
- distracting;
- locally irritating.
Capsicum extract has the ability to dilate blood vessels located in the painful area. The analgesic effect is also manifested by a decrease in muscle tone and improvement in tissue trophism. Belladonna (belladonna) extract is characterized by a pronounced antispasmodic effect, provided by the alkaloid atropine, which is part of the plant. Manufacturers added dimethyl sulfoxide to the patch to relieve inflammatory processes, a common accompaniment of back pain. The organic compound inactivates hydroxyl radicals and accelerates metabolic processes in pathological areas.
For people with sensitive skin, using a transdermal product will cause severe burning, itching and congestion of the blood vessels at the site of application. If any of the listed side effects occur, wipe the affected area of the body with a cotton pad dipped in sunflower oil.
Pepper patch is not used in the treatment of patients under 14 years of age, pregnant or lactating women. Absolute contraindications are varicose veins and impaired skin integrity.
To eliminate peripheral neuropathic pain that occurs when the peripheral nervous system is damaged (from the roots to the nerve endings), a heating patch with a high capsaicin content is used. This transdermal product is not intended for domestic use as certain conditions must be met when applying it.
Capsaicin is a highly selective agonist of vanilloid receptors, the transient receptor potential of which belongs to type 1. Immediately after local application of the patch, cutaneous pain receptors expressing TRPV1 are activated. The patient feels a burning sensation and redness appears at the adhesive caused by the release of vasoactive neuropeptides. The external drug is characterized by the following pharmacodynamic effects:
- Capsaicin significantly reduces the sensitivity of skin pain receptors to mediators. But when exposed to mechanical and vibrational stimuli, a person's ability to feel pain remains unchanged;
- changes in skin pain receptors under the active influence of capsaicin are reversible and occur after a certain time. The response to painful stimuli is restored after 2 to 4 weeks.
The patch is characterized by slow transepidermal and transdermal absorption. An hour after sticking the patch, only 1% of the active ingredient penetrates the damaged tissues.
The scope of application of the external drug is determined by the attending physician, and the procedure is carried out by medical personnel. The patient's skin is first treated with a product with pronounced anesthetic activity to reduce the intensity of discomfort. The patch is applied using gloves and safety glasses. Such precautions are necessary to avoid redness of the epidermis and irritation of the mucous membranes.
Heat reflective patches
In the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, radiculitis, a patch containing nanopowder for back and lower back pain has proven itself well. The composition of the transdermal product is represented by a fine mixture obtained by processing rare earths. A nanopowder capable of producing infrared radiation is applied to a hypoallergenic polymer base.
The duration of exposure to the patch is 12 hours. The following topical application can only be used after 6 hours.
The mechanism of pharmacological action of the drug lies in the combined influence of infrared radiation and the magnetic field formed by rare earths.. The temperature in the inflammatory focus increases, which leads to improvement in microcirculation. Biologically active nutrients begin to flow to damaged tissues, triggering regenerative processes. This leads to multifaceted therapeutic effects, among which the following predominate:
- improvement of local lymph and blood circulation;
- prevention of stagnation;
- normalization of venous outflow;
- relief of the inflammatory process;
- reduce the severity of pain;
- acceleration of metabolic processes;
- relaxation of spasmodic muscles.
The patch has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous activity. Under the influence of infrared rays, striated skeletal muscles relax and optimal transmission of nerve impulses to the central nervous system is restored. The use of a transdermal drug for 5-7 weeks helps to increase the functional activity of the musculoskeletal system and normalize the range of movements. If the cause of back pain is a fall or a serious bruise, then the use of the patch will relieve not only pain, but also extensive hematomas by improving microcirculation in damaged tissues.
A Polish manufacturer produces a warming and pain-relieving patch. The medicine does not contain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.The active ingredient in the patch is iron powder.Activated carbon acts as a catalyst for biochemical reactions.
The interaction of the enterosorbent and iron powder leads to an increase in the temperature of the inflammatory focus up to 45-50 °C. Heat production by the body occurs through the oxidation of alkaline earth metals, the basis of iron powder.
Deep warming up of spasmed muscles helps increase blood supply to damaged tissues and reduce skeletal muscle tone. The warming effect lasts 12 hours, then the patch should be peeled off and any moisturizer should be rubbed into the application area. In order to prevent skin burns, the treatment procedure can be carried out no more than 3 times every 7 days.. The absence of ingredients in the patch absorbed into the systemic circulation ensures a small number of side effects. The transdermal agent is not prescribed to patients during pregnancy, lactation and menstruation. An absolute contraindication is also the presence of cracks, wounds or scratches on the skin. When the patch is applied to areas of the body with blood vessels located close to the surface of the skin (for example, the groin), the risk of burns and irritation increases significantly.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory patches
When asked which patch for back pain is better, neurologists and rheumatologists give a clear answer: a transdermal agent with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. NSAIDs reduce the severity of clinical manifestations and eliminate the pathology that caused them by blocking the cyclooxygenase enzyme. This leads to a decrease in the production of the main mediators of pain and inflammation, prostaglandins. Most often, in the treatment of radiculitis and lumbar osteochondrosis, a patch containing an active ingredient from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives is used. The external agent also includes levomenthol, which has the following effects:
- local irritant;
- analgesic;
- weak antiseptic.
The amount of phenylacetic acid derivative released from the patch during the day corresponds to the volume adsorbed from a similar dose of 1% gel. The transdermal product has many advantages: convenience and low frequency of use, no greasy marks on clothing and bedding after use.
About 5-6% of the phenylacetic acid derivative is able to enter the bloodstream, but this amount is not enough to develop significant systemic side effects. T1/2 of inactive metabolites of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - within 1-3 hours. After glucuronidation in hepatocytes, the phenylacetic acid derivative is eliminated mainly through the urinary system (65 to 70%), the remainder being excreted in the stools. 1% of the active ingredient leaves the body unmetabolized.
Relatively recently, a patch from a Korean manufacturer appeared on pharmacy shelves, the active ingredient of which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug from the group of propionic acid derivatives. Its analgesic activity is also based on blocking the synthesis of prostaglandins by inhibiting cyclooxygenase.
The undoubted advantage of the propionic acid derivative is the possibility of being used in the treatment of patients with a history of chronic renal and hepatic failure. Regardless of the stage of the pathology, the metabolism of NSAIDs in hepatic cells does not change, which explains the absence of its accumulation.
5 to 8 hours after sticking the patch, its biological concentration in blood serum reaches 0. 08 to 0. 15 µg/ml. The propionic acid derivative is metabolized by hepatocytes during the glucuronidation reaction and the conjugates are excreted from the human body mainly in urine.
The transdermal drug is used as a symptomatic agent in the treatment of neuralgia, lumbago, osteochondrosis and radiculitis in patients over 15 years old. The external agent has analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity and effectively relieves swelling. To increase effectiveness, the annotation recommends sticking the patch 2 times a day on painful areas of the body. The duration of therapeutic treatment depends on the severity of the diagnosed disease, but it should not exceed 6 days.
Chinese pain relief patches
Chinese patch for osteochondrosis is a transdermal product that contains extracts of medicinal plants and biologically active substances with chondroprotective properties. After sticking the transdermal medication to the area of pain and inflammation, the acupuncture points located in the spine are activated. The result of this effect is improvement of blood circulation, supply of nutrients and biologically active substances to damaged tissues and acceleration of metabolic processes.
There is not a wide range of Chinese plasters for joints and spine on pharmacy shelves, and doctors rarely include them in patients' treatment regimens. Manufacturers do not conduct clinical trials whose results would create an evidence base for the therapeutic effectiveness of transdermal drugs.
To reduce the intensity of pain, relieve inflammation and swelling, the following Chinese patches are used:
- An external remedy that contains scorpion powder, bee venom, myrrh, cinnamon, angelica, borneol and about 30 other components;
- A patch containing 88 biologically active substances, including plant origin: angelica, comfrey and licorice root, Sichuan multifloral pepper and buffalo horn extract, myrrh, turmeric, orange peel, powder producing infrared radiation, etc. .
- Transdermal agent, which includes extracts of saffron, musk, ginger, menthol, myrrh, peach and angelica root, methyl ester of salicylic acid, which is part of the group of anti-inflammatory drugsnon-steroidal;
- A preparation that contains extracts of aconite, belladonna, cinnamon, parsnip, ginger, chilibuha seeds, myrrh and pine resins, clove bark extract and galangal root.
All herbal components of Chinese patches have a cumulative effect, so the analgesic effect occurs after several hours or even days. Before using them, it should be borne in mind that the composition contains many biologically active substances that can cause a serious allergic reaction. Chinese patches are not intended for the treatment of children, pregnant or lactating women.